Environmental Science and Management - PhD

The Bren School offers a unique educational setting where students and faculty in many branches of environmental science and management interact and create new, interdisciplinary approaches to environmental problem solving. All faculty engage in research that crosses traditional boundaries, and encourage students to do so as well. The Bren School’s Ph.D. program trains innovative researchers and problem-solvers who enter public and private sectors in leadership roles. The cornerstone of Bren’s doctoral degree is original, high-quality research that focuses on diagnosis, assessment, mitigation, management, and remediation of an existing environmental problem and/or the prevention of future environmental problems. While our focus is interdisciplinary, the Ph.D. program is designed to also accommodate those highly focused in a particular discipline. Mentoring is central to the Ph.D. program at the Bren School. Students should choose the Bren School if their research interests are complementary to those of a specific faculty member or group of faculty.

• Research (postdocs, research associate positions)

• Business or industry

• Nonprofit organizations

• Postdoctoral Fellowship

• Assistant Professor, non-tenure track or tenure-track

• Researcher

• We prioritize building community: we host a long-weekend Ph.D. retreat at the start of the school year, weekly coffee hours, biannual BBQs, and other events to encourage collaboration

• Ph.D. degrees aren't just for academics! Many Bren Ph.D. graduates pursue careers outside academia and become leaders in government, nonprofits, or in the private sector

• Several Ph.D. emphases allow you to gain additional expertise in topics such as Environment, Economics, Political Science, Technology and Society, Climate Change, and Climate Science

• Sustainability

• Climate change and climate science

• Political Science

• Economics

• Data Science

• Climate change

• Interdisciplinary research

• Environmental policy

• Environmental economics

• Sustainability

• Environmental justice

https://bren.ucsb.edu/phd-environmental-science-and-management

https://bren.ucsb.edu/phd-environmental-science-and-management/phd-admissions